JOB DESCRIPTION

Deadline for Applications

October 17, 2025

Hardship Level

H (no hardship)

Family Type

Family

Family Type

Family

Residential location (if applicable)

Grade

PR3

Staff Member / Affiliate Type

Professional

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

Target Start Date

2025-11-01

Standard Job Description

Finance Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
In the Regional Bureaux, the incumbent works under the direct supervision of the Regional Controller or Senior Finance Officer and in functional coordination with Division of Resource Management”s Admin, Finance & Treasury Service. In the Country or Multi-Country Offices, the incumbent may be supervised by a Senior Finance Officer, Assistant Representative (Admin), Head of Sub-Office, or other senior positions as delegated by the Representative.

The incumbent is responsible for co-ordinating, guiding, monitoring, advising on, and supporting the financial operations in the area of responsibility (AoR). With the objective to safeguard and optimize the utilization of UNHCR”s monetary and physical resources, the incumbent contributes to the establishment of efficient and reliable mechanisms and processes to ensure compliance with UN financial regulations and UNHCR”s rules, policies and procedures including, and not limited to, accounts payable and treasury processes, accounting, and implementation of internal control mechanisms, including support to oversight and audit functions.

The incumbent also identifies and manages risks under their responsibility in close coordination with the Risk Management and Compliance Advisor. In the Regional Bureaux, the incumbent supports the work of the Regional Controller with authority to discuss problems and seek common ground on which to recommend solutions based on predetermined guidelines provided by higher authority.

The incumbent may directly supervise professional and general service staff.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR”s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties
– Oversee and guide integrated financial management and reporting for the area of responsibility (AoR).
– Assess, review, and ensure application of finance-related policies, instructions, procedures, etc.
– Provide advice to management regarding the application of financial policies and procedures and, when necessary, coordinate with the Regional Controller or Office of the Controller, as applicable, regarding the interpretation of such policies and procedures.
– Ensure accounting records are correct and reliable, including” and not limited to timely bank reconciliations, maintenance of open items, timely processing of travel financial transactions, clearance of residual requisitions and purchase order balance.
– In close coordination with the Admin, Finance & Treasury Service, support the preparation and review of donor financial reports, and endorse such reports before submission to donors.
– Ensure monthly and yearly closing as well as any other periodic accounting-related processes are executed in a timely and accurate manner.
– Ensure the maintenance and on-going validity of the Delegation of Authority Plan (DOAP).
– Ensure that payments made are timely and accurately, and all month-end and year-end cut-off processes are implemented in line with relevant guidance.
– Supervise the preparation of financial reports, monitoring and supervising expenditures with respect to approved budgets and work plans.
– Ensure that local bank account administration and associated cash management functions are performed in adherence to financial guidelines
– Perform financial management and control related to Cash-Based Interventions in adherence to financial guidelines.
– Review and certify vouchers, including ABOD and project disbursements;
– Perform project control functions for both directly and indirectly implemented activities, in the absence of a dedicated project control position
– Coordinate, review and endorse responses to audit queries from internal and external audits and ensure the implementation of accounting audit recommendations.

– Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
– Perform other relevant duties as required.

Regional financial services applicable to positions in the Regional Bureau only
– In coordination with relevant services in HQ, and to improve cost-effectiveness and process efficiency for operations, implement and manage regional finance-related services such as: vendor and other related master data management and maintenance, invoice posting, travel claim processing, payments, bank reconciliations, accounting housekeeping and period cut-off activities, donor financial reporting, etc.
– Make proposals for the continuous improvement of financial monitoring and control mechanisms, including the streamlining of financial systems and procedures.
– In coordination with DRM”s Change Management and Field Support Section, identify and provide training on accounting matters, and recommend or develop training modules as necessary, aiming at the development of financial management skills.
– In close liaison with DRM”s System Administration Section and other divisions as necessary, provide and plan activities for rollout of new processes or systems; assist the Regional Controller in monitoring the implementing internal control mechanisms and compliance with UNHCR”s financial policies and procedures in the region.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P3/NOC – 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Accounting; Finance; Public or Business Administration;
Economics; or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
Professional accounting, auditing or financial management designation (CPA/ACCA/CIA/CMA or equivalent)
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Work experience in the field of accounting/finance, project management, business analysis, quality assurance and/or risk management. Excellent knowledge of, and experience in working with, international accounting and auditing standards, with a minimum of two years of practical experience in the audit process and/or in financial statements preparation. Working experience with accrual accounting (such as IPSAS or IFRS). Excellent understanding and/or experience of financial modules a major Enterprise Resource Planning system (such as PeopleSoft, SAP or Oracle). Good understanding of project and resource management. Excellent computer skills, in particular in MS Office applications, especially MS-excel. Excellent communication and negotiation skills. Experience of managing people in multinational/multicultural environments.

Desirable
Good knowledge of UNHCR systems (such as COMPASS, Cloud ERP, Power BI – Results Data Portal). Excellent knowledge of United Nations financial rules and procedures.

Functional Skills
FI-General Financial Management
FI-Financial auditing
FI-International Auditing Standards
FI-Financial Accrual Accounting under internationally accepted standards (IFRS,IPSAS,etc)
FI-Financial Accounting – Modified cash-based accounting as per international standards
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements
For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

Desired Candidate Profile

The incumbent is required to have excellent analytical skills, allowing him/her to make judgement calls and be able to escalate sensitive issues as appropriate. The impact of the work has a high reputational risk to the organization. The incumbent must have proven experience in:

• Managing high volume global transaction service in Account Payable (AP) in a centralized or shared service model.
• Leading and supervising a large team of operational finance staff and contract workers at various levels, working remotely and/or in-situ;
• Proven expertise with the AP Module in a modern ERP System (Oracle, SAP or similar), including detailed process understanding and knowledge of how the internal control framework is applied;
• Setting up and maintaining reporting structures for the monitoring of invoice-to-payment KPIs including central service delivery performance KPIs;
• Driving improvement of operational KPIs in the invoice to payment process through the streamlining of processes and introduction of new technologies;
• Working with auditors, including quality control of samples provided and responding to recommendations;
• Monthly and year-end accrual accounting and managing cut-off issues across the organization;

The ideal candidate will also demonstrate:

• An extensive understanding of accrual accounting and the invoice-to-pay process.
• Ability to work independently within delegated authority;
• Ability to build and motivate a highly effective team;
• A strong service mentality towards internal and external clients and stakeholders;
• Excellent communication and presentation skills targeted to different audiences;
• Well-developed organizational and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively in a team-oriented environment;
• Advanced project management skills (e.g. through relevant experience or certifications such as Prince2 or PMP).
• Focus on process improvement and new IT system implementations with demonstrated capacity to formulate business requirements for technological enhancements;
• Knowledge of invoicing operations in both HQ and field contexts in a UN system organization

Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):

,

,

Desired languages

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

Global Shared Services (GSS) provides location-independent transactional services in Finance, Payroll, Human Resources, Supply, and IT, to enable operations to focus on strategic and context-specific priorities globally. The GSS located in Budapest serves as the backbone of the service, which is supported by satellite teams in Panama, Amman, Kuala Lumpur, Dakar, and Nairobi. The GSS also works very closely with all enabling functions, DPM, DRM, DEPS, and ITS, to ensure policies and controls are implemented and delivered in an efficient manner. The strategic direction and operating modalities of the service are governed by the GSS Advisory Board.

This position is part of the Finance section of the GSS and will report to the Senior Finance Officer – Accounts Payable. Responsibilities include:

• Organizes and plans the work of the global invoicing team in DFAM and the Finance Hub including managing staff, setting priorities, and ensuring the accuracy of work. Actively monitors key performance indicators (KPIs) for compliance with service level agreements (SLAs) and operational performance;

• Supervises and manages a team responsible for central invoice processing, accounting and post-payment reconciliations;

• Approves AP transactions, payment runs and journals in compliance with financial regulations and policies;

• Establishes effective internal controls, monitors and handles high-volume invoice and payment exceptions, investigates unusual activities, and duly alerts the concerned parties;

• Monitors and coordinates gathering, compilation and analysis of financial data needed to perform the assigned year-end closure activities and supports internal/external audits

• Identifies areas of weakness with regards to IPSAS compliance, and address these with the most appropriate means

• Identifies and leverages technology to re-design simplified invoice-to-payment processes for global needs of the organization such as implementing smart document recognition and the utilization of robotic process automation on an as-needed basis for new Cloud ERP invoicing processes.

• Configures, creates, and maintains the AP system, integration and batch settings to optimize performance, compliance and usability of the new ERP Cloud system in a multi-AP Business Unit environment. Monitors and resolves issues related to AP system configuration, batch processing, and payment processing schedules, and providing support to end-users as needed.

• Works with cross-functional teams to identify and resolve any invoice and payment processing or accounting issues and improve invoice processes while developing and maintaining strong relationships with relevant stakeholders;

• Reviews aged payables on a quarterly basis to identify potential issues in collaboration with the relevant offices. With respect to Expense Recognition, Accounts Payable, Receipt Accruals and Commitments, noting UNHCR’s accounts are IPSAS compliant and system-supported donor reporting must reflect the accurate timing of costs incurred.

• Leads the monthly and year-end closure of the accounts payable (AP) sub-ledger;

• Monitors HQ and Field user compliance with the relevant financial rules and procedures, and proposes improvements to policies and procedures for more effective operations;

• Prepares and maintains relevant standard operating procedures, guidance documents, and training materials concerning invoice-to-payment process;

• Proactively proposes and implements agreed improvements to achieve more efficient and effective use of modern technologies and tools such as Share Point, Service Now, UiPath, etc.;

Living and Working Conditions:

Additional Qualifications

Skills

FI-Financial Accounting – Modified cash-based accounting as per international standards, FI-Financial Accrual Accounting under internationally accepted standards (IFRS,IPSAS,etc), FI-Financial auditing, FI-General Financial Management, FI-International Auditing Standards

Education

Bachelor of Arts: Accounting, Bachelor of Arts: Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts: Economics, Bachelor of Arts: Finance, Bachelor of Arts: Public Administration

Certifications

Accounting – Other, Auditing – Other, Financial Management – Other

Work Experience

Competencies

Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Managing performance, Managing resource, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Teamwork & collaboration

UNHCR Salary Calculator

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Compendium

Flash Vacancy Notice

Additional Information

Functional clearance

This position requires Functional Clearance